Podcast Review: The Third Half

It may be just me, but lately I’ve been burned out listening to podcasts. So much so that my weekly diet of half a dozen different shows has now dwindled down to one or two. The same goes for non-soccer podcasts too. I find myself occupying my listening time with my newest addiction, Audible books, but that’s a story for another time.

When I do listen to football podcasts, I find them more enjoyable when I listen to them a couple of days after they’ve published so I can hear whether their mid-week and weekend predictions were on target or completely off-base. It helps me gain a better appreciation of how knowledgable the experts really are.

So earlier this weekend, I tried a new podcast. New for me, at least. It’s been around several months, but now is available only on the EPL Talk Podcast stream at iTunes and here. Hosted by Johnathan Starling, The Third Half is quite unique as it takes you around the leagues of Spain, Italy, England, United States and Europe all in one show.

To me, I judge the quality of a podcast by whether I learn things from it. In the case of The Third Half, I learned quite a bit about the lesser known teams in the Champions League thanks to Starling and interview guest Lonnie Smetana who was interviewed during one of the segments. I also enjoyed the analysis of Serie A and La Liga, which was a lot more well rounded instead of the brief remarks I usually find on The Guardian’s Football Weekly Podcast.

Well rounded is a good description of the entire Third Half podcast. If you’re the type of individual who enjoys learning about what’s happening in most of the major leagues around the world, give the show a chance. Try to ignore the audio quality, which I’m sure will improve on future episodes but listen instead to the knowledgable exchange of football discussion between the host and his guests during the interview portions.

About The Author

Publisher of World Soccer Talk, Christopher Harris founded the site in 2005. He has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Guardian and several other publications. Plus he has made appearances on NPR, BBC World, CBC, BBC Five Live, talkSPORT and beIN SPORT.
Harris, who was born and raised in Wales, has lived in Florida since 1984, and supported Swansea City since 1979. Last but not least, he got engaged during half-time of a MLS game.